ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has announced that virtual private networks (VPNs) can now registered against mobile numbers to facilitate freelancers who lack a static IP address.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the telecom authority said, “The step is aimed to further simplify the VPN registration process for facilitation of the IT industry”.
The regulatory body further revealed that so far over 31,000 VPNs have been registered, advising users to register the VPNs against mobile numbers by accessing PTA’s website.
Earlier, the telecommunication authority initiated the crackdown against unregistered VPNs in light of security concerns raised by the concerned authorities.
The body had initially set out a November 30 deadline for VPN registration. However, later it decided to not block VPNs on the expiration of the deadline maintaining that it would go beyond it.
The Ministry of Interior had announced to begin the process of shutting down all unregistered VPNs by the middle of November but later announced a two-week “grace period” allowing the unregistered VPNs to comply with mandatory registration requirements.
